59 days to Halloween 2013

Halloween is traditionally celebrated on 31st October. Halloween has an interesting historical background behind the bowls of candy and weird and wonderful outfits.

According to Celtic beliefs the spirits of the dead are able to pass through into the living world on the night of October 31. They believed that spirits and ghosts of the dead could visit from the underworld and harm the living or take them back with them. Apparently people dressed up as spirits and ghosts if they ventured out on this night in the hope that this would confuse the visiting spirits and thwart their intentions.

It was also thought that these spirits could bring messages to the living and on 31st October. Other unusual customs were also carried out on this night such as unmarried girls pouring molten lead into water to see what shape it formed which might be a clue to their future husband’s profession.

Nowadays people focus a lot more on dressing up, having parties, decorating their houses and going out to trick-or-treat. The streets are transformed on 31st October as hordes of children go from to door past houses adorned with gloomy decorations with even a replica graveyard here and there.

Halloween is not a statutory holiday and does not disrupt businesses or schools however you would be forgiven for thinking it was a holiday with all the excitement surrounding it.